Navy Orders ‘Deep Dive’ into Readiness After Massive Ship Deployment Delay

Navy Amphibious Assault Vessel

The Navy’s top officer ordered a “deep dive” investigation into readiness and maintenance issues after one amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, deployed after months of delay, according to Military.com.

The Boxer carries fighter aircraft and Marines and serves as the flagship of its designated combat unit known as an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), supporting the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy forces across the globe. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said she directed senior officers in February to do an initial investigation into the delays that could provide lessons for the rest of the amphibious fleet, Military.com reported.

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Commentary: The Immediacy of the PRC Threat Requires Shift from a Focus on Land Power to Maritime Power

One of the biggest news stories coming out of Asia for the New Year was the alleged purge of senior People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers, most notably the former PRC Minister of Defense Li Shangfu who went missing in late August 2023 and was formally removed from his position in October. This so-called purge, which also included three senior defense industry officials, was in fact the result of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) annual announcement of the new slate of delegates for the upcoming Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body of the PRC’s annual National People’s Congress (NPC), that is held each year, usually in early March.

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Report: China Is Closing the Submarine Gap with the U.S.

USS Nevada, Ohio-class submarine

China is rapidly closing the gap in critical submarine capabilities that challenge decades of unmitigated U.S. dominance in the deep sea and could have critical implications in a Taiwan scenario, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In 2023, China put to sea a nuclear-powered attack submarine equipped for the first time with a noise-reducing pump-jet propulsion system, marking a major advance in submarine technology to match the way the U.S. equips its own submarines. The quieting systems will allow them to evade detection by American submarines and patrol aircraft, while construction on an “underwater great wall” of complex sensors will allow China to identify incoming enemy assets, Chinese military and academic texts say.

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Crisis of Confidence in U.S. Marine Corps as Biden Nominates New Commandant

President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Marine Corps is raising concern among war hawks and others about whether his appointment will continue what they see as an ongoing effort to strip the military branch of its internal and external might and prowess.

Gen. Eric Smith, now the assistant commandant for the Marines, was nominated last week by the White House to be the next Marine Corps commandant.

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